Distraction Burglary, Stockton

Police are appealing for information following a distraction burglary at an address on Belle Vue Court in Stockton.

The incident happened at around 6pm on Tuesday 27th November. A man knocked on the door of a 76-year-old woman who answered the door and let the man into her home. The man had claimed that rubbish was contaminating the water in her house due to the rain and the drains flooding. He asked whether the woman had received a letter about this and then asked her to watch the kitchen taps whilst he went into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, the woman became suspicious and went to the bathroom to look for the man. He was not there, and she found him in her bedroom looking into her bedside cabinet. He said he was checking pipes and then went into a second bedroom.

The lady checked her purse and found that around £50 was missing, before locking the door to prevent the suspect from leaving. The man climbed through a window to leave the house and made off.

In total, the man stole a large quantity of cash which had been saved for Christmas presents and a gold bracelet with high sentimental value was also taken.

The man is described as a white male, around 5ft 6” tall, aged in his early thirties with a chubby face. He was wearing a black woolly hat, a black fleece with a white logo and a yellow high visibility jacket, black tracksuit bottoms and black workman style boots.

Anyone who may have seen the man in the area around the time of the incident or anyone with information regarding it, is asked to contact DC Greg Hodgson of Stockton CID on the non-emergency 101 number or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.